1158: Etkin Tekin, Craig Sklar, & Rob LaTronica, Co-Owners of Haven Hot Chicken

Scott Lawton is a Co-Founder, former CEO, and Chairman at Bartaco. We have previously featured Andy Pforzheimer, co-founder of Bartaco (episode #829), and Anthony Valleta, President of Bartaco (episode #976) on Restaurant Unstoppable. Scott is from Atlanta originally and attended culinary school before working for industry giants such as Drew Nieporent at Tribeca Grill in NYC. Today, there are 35 Bartaco restaurants across the US. Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Restaurant Systems Pro - Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more.  Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Today's guests recommends these tools: Olo 1Huddle Guest contact info:  https://bartaco.com/ Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Today's guest is Emeritus Faculty of The Hotel School of Cornell University, Stephani Robson. Until her recent retirement, Dr. Stephani Robson was a member of the faculty at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration for almost 30 years, where she taught literally thousands of students and executives about development and planning for hotels and restaurants. Prior to joining academia, she designed commercial kitchens for just about every kind of operation: restaurants, hotels, airports, hospitals, universities, and more. This workshop covers part 1 of our 3-part series about FOH Layout Engineering. Workshops can be found every Thursday in the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast feed or on YouTube. Most have a visual component, so consider watching the video version here. Join the RUNetwork to take part in workshops and ask the experts YOUR questions! Want more Stephani Robson? Head to www.restaurantunstoppable.com/stephanirobson to get the Stephani Robson Playlist and a link to schedule your one-on-one call with Stephani. Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Restaurant Systems Pro - Join the 60-day Restaurant Systems Pro FREE TRAINING. This is something that has never been done before. This 60-day event is at no cost to you, but it is not for everyone. Fred Langley, CEO of Restaurant Systems Pro, will lead a group of restaurateurs through the Restaurant Systems Pro software and set up the systems for your restaurant. During the 60 days, Fred will walk you through the Restaurant Systems Pro Process and help you crush the following goals: Recipe Costing Cards; Guidance in your books for accounting; Cash controls; Sales Forecasting(With Accuracy); Checklists; Budgeting for the entire year; Scheduling for profit; More butts in seats and more… Click Here to learn more.  Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Guest contact info:  Email: [email protected] Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Will Gilson is the Executive Chef and Partner at Cambridge Street Hospitality Group, based in Cambridge, MA. Will started as a cook in Boston at the age of 15 and has never left the industry. He attended culinary school and then travelled the world to learn about cooking in various cities. He opened his first restaurant with a partner in 2012 called Puritan and Company and now has 8 concepts in and around the Boston area. Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Meez: Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes like never before. Plus, engineer your menu in real-time and get accurate food costs. Sign up for free today and get 2 FREE months of invoice processing as a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast. Visit getmeez.com/unstoppable to learn more. Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Today's guests recommends these tools: Open Table Square Toast Basecamp Eventbrite Paychex Triple Seat Restaurant 365 Guest contact info:  Cambridge Street Hospitality group webite Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

This is a very special episode. We are showcasing some of the amazing benefits of joining the live events over at Restaurant Unstoppable Network. Eric and two network members are joined by Dillas CEO Kyle Gordon for some mentoring on scaling a QSR business. Want to join the live events to ask the experts your questions and gain valuable knowledge and mentorship? Click here: restaurantunstoppable.com/live  As a student at the University of Texas, Kyle Gorden developed a romance…with quesadillas. In 2006, At the age of 23, Kyle decided to pursue his dream to open his own restaurant– not just any restaurant– a quesadilla restaurant. He did what I would advise anyone to do; he sought out a mentor and employment with a high-performing restaurant team. For Kyle, the high-performing team was Raising Cane's. Kyle went on to spend 7 years with Raising Cane's before leaving to open his dream quesadilla restaurant, Dillas in 2013. Today, there are 11 Dillas locations, with plans to have 27 by the end of 2025. Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Meez: Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes like never before. Plus, engineer your menu in real-time and get accurate food costs. Sign up for free today and get 2 FREE months of invoice processing as a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast. Visit getmeez.com/unstoppable to learn more. Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Today's guests recommends these tools: Field Day Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Tom Boucher is the CEO and Owner of Great NH Restaurants. Tom was previously on the show for episode 108 back in 2015. Tom became the CEO of Great NH Restaurants in 2004 and bought out the then owners in 2007 to become an owner and partner. Today, Great NH Restaurants has 9 restaurants all in New Hampshire under its ownership and operation, including T-BONES and Copper Door. Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: US Foods: US Foods is hosting the event of the year, Food Fanatics 2025. August 19-20, 2025, at the Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, NV. Network with over 5,000 Industry peers. Attend Zouk nightclub reception, expert breakout sessions, Keynote speeches, musical performances, and dramatic demonstrations, and sample the latest on-trend dishes. The Clock Is Ticking! Be Ready to Register on April 16 for Food Fanatics® 2025. To learn more, visit www.usfoods.com/foodfanatics2025 Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Today's guests recommends these tools: Motivocity Contact the guests: Websites for T-BONES and Copper Door  Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Michelle Corry is the Co-Founder and Owner of 555, Petite Jacqueline, and 555North. Michelle graduated from Boston University with a Hospitality Management degree and headed out to San Francisco to work FOH in breweries there. She met her husband (and business) partner while there and worked at places such as The French Laundry in her early career. Eventually, in 2003, Michelle and her husband opened their own restaurant, 555, in Portland, Maine. They then opened a second restaurant, Petite Jacqueline, in 2011. Both restaurants have since closed. Today they are partners in 555North, a reimagining of 555, in Brunswick, Maine. They are also doing consulting. Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Today's guests recommends these tools: Toast 7Shifts Contact the guests: Email: [email protected] Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Tom Barthelmes is the Chef and Co-Owner of Finestkind in Saco, Maine. Tom grew up in New Hampshire and knew he wanted to be a chef in his very early teens. He attended the Culinary Institute of America in NY. In school he met his wife and business partner, Victoria. He worked in NYC for three years after graduating in such restaurants as Per Se. He then moved to the Portland, Maine area to work in more restaurants and eventually open his own, Finestkind, in Spetember of 2024.  Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Meez: Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes like never before. Plus, engineer your menu in real-time and get accurate food costs. Sign up for free today and get 2 FREE months of invoice processing as a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast. Visit getmeez.com/unstoppable to learn more. Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Contact the guests: Email: [email protected] Instagram: @finestkindmaine Website Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Haven Hot Chicken was previously featured on the show for episode 1151 when Jason Sobocinski, President and Co-Owner of Haven Hot Chicken, was a guest! All three of our guests today are co-owners of Haven hot chicken today. Haven Hot chicken is a hot chicken concept based in New Haven, CT with 9 locations. Etkin Tekin is the CEO, Craig Sklar is the CIO, and Rob LaTronica is the CGO!  Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Meez: Are you a chef, owner, operator, or manage recipes in professional kitchens? meez is built just for you. Organize, share, prep, and scale recipes like never before. Plus, engineer your menu in real-time and get accurate food costs. Sign up for free today and get 2 FREE months of invoice processing as a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast. Visit getmeez.com/unstoppable to learn more. Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Today's guests recommends these tools: Ovation Toast Rightworks Bikki LoopAI World Manager Service Physics Contact the guests: Click here for contact info Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

Damian Sansonetti is the Chef and Co-Owner of Chaval and Ugly Duckling, both located in Portland, ME. Damian is the husband of previous guest Ilma Lopez, who was featured on episodes 1148 and 1156. Damian's father was a chef and he grew interested in the profession while in college. He attended Pennsyvania Culinary Institute and quickly began working in well-known restaurants and for high profile restaurateurs in NYC, such as Daniel Boulud and Myriad Restaurant Group. He and Ilma married in 2009 and they decided to move to Portland to open their first restaurant in 2013. Today, they own Ugly Duckling and Chaval.  Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Contact the guest: Chaval website: https://www.chavalmaine.com Ugly Duckling website: https://www.uglyducklingmaine.com Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable

This is a very special round table conversation with 4 restaurant owners in the Portland, Maine area. Eric sits down with Piage Gould, owner of Central Provitions, Tipo, and Finestkind, Ilma Lopez, owner of Chaval and Ugly Duckling, Michelle Corry, owner of Fifty Five-Five, and Theresa Chan, owner of Empire Chinese Kitchen. They will be dscussing the importance of finding a group friends/mentors to discuss problems and solutions, as well as brainstorm ways to move into the future intentionally within the restaurant industry.  Join the Restaurant Unstoppable Network TODAY! Restaurant Unstoppable - EVOLVE! - Eric of Restaurant Unstoppable is now taking consultation and coaching calls! Book a consultation today! Schedule your call to become UNSTOPPABLE! Check out the website for more details: https://www.restaurantunstoppable.com/evolve Today's sponsors: Restaurant Systems Pro: When you join Restaurant Systems Pro through February of 2025, They will handle your 2024 books at no charge. Here’s what you get: Organization of all invoices and expenses;AI Scanning of products so you know the usage; Reconciling your accounts; Tracking inventory and labor costs; and Providing detailed P&L reports Head to RestaurantUnstoppable.com/RSP and be sure to mention this special offer.   Let’s make 2025 the year your restaurant thrives. Contact the guests: Paige Gould: http://www.central-provisions.com -OR- http://www.tiporestaurant.com  Ilma Lopez: https://www.chavalmaine.com -OR- https://www.uglyducklingmaine.com Michelle Corry: https://www.555-north.com Theresa Chan: https://www.portlandempire.com Thanks for listening! Rate the podcast, subscribe, and share!  We are on Youtube: @RestaurantUnstoppable